World's Best Mother

Locals celebrate Mother's Day with reasons why their mothers are great

By Jessica Walkerjessica.walker@news-star.com

Jenny O’Dell-Countess, of Tecumseh, said she hopes she is half the mother to her children, Tyler and Blake, that her mom, Dee, has been to her.

She said she believes her mother is the best mother in the world. Her sister, Brandi O’Dell-Sears agrees. Sears defines a mother as one that always has love. She said a quality her mom has that many do not is that she has always admits when she has made a mistake.

“My mom has always worked hard to get everything she has,” Sears said. “She taught that to my sister and I through life and actions.”

Sears said what makes her mother the best mother in the world is the fact that she loves unconditionally. She said her mom has never turned away anyone for any reason.

“My mom is always willing to love unconditionally, no questions asked,” she said.

Countess said she would always tease when she was growing up that her family had a revolving door at their house. She said if someone needed a place to say, her mother made sure the house was always open.

“My mother is truly a blessing,” she said.

She said she’s never seen someone work as hard as her mom does.

“She was a single mother raising two girls,” Countess said. “She has always been there for us.”

Countess and Sears both agree that the grandkids love her to pieces and always want to stay at “Dee Dee’s” house. Jenny said her mother never meets a stranger and will find someone just about anything they are looking for.

“She is truly a mother and caregiver to everyone around her,” she said.

Both of the O’Dell daughters said their mother is their role model and she always makes you laugh and smile. The two daughters and their families live within one mile of their mother. Sears’s son Trenton, 9, said he likes it when “Dee Dee” picks him up.

“When I am down, she always has kinds words to say to me to cheer me up,” he said.

Caitlyn Yount, of Shawnee, said she also believes her mother is the best because she always puts everyone else before herself.

“She sacrifices to make sure her family is happy,” she said.

Yount said her mom, Pam, is an amazing role model.

“She is the kind of mother I want to be someday,” she said.

Cindy Fowler, of Macomb, said her mother, Linda Myers, is the best because even though she already had two children, she chose her through adoption.

“Not only did she adopt me, but my sister as well,” she said. “Then 21 years later, she chose to adopt my little brother.”

Fowler said in addition to adopting her and her siblings, her mother has given numerous children an awesome start in life by being a foster parent for many years.

“Her love is unconditional and affects all who know her,” Fowler said.

Robyn Jones Watkins, of McLoud, said her mom LaDonna Jones is the best mother because she has always been a wonderful mom to all four of her kids.

“She never let us do without and always worked hard to provide for all of us,” she said.

Watkins said at one time her mom worked three jobs and was a single mother taking care of her three oldest kids, but never asked for any handouts. She said her mother has been battling breast cancer, which has also spread to her lungs, since June 2005.

“She has never been one to ask for anything from anyone and she has kept going strong since the cancer started,” Watkins said.

She said her mother always makes sure her kids and grandkids are taken care of and wants to be there for everyone 24/7.

“She is a beautiful mother and grandmother, inside and out,” Watkins said. “She is a true survivor and my hero.”